The disclosure relates to technology with regard to a liquid supply device. The disclosure also relates to a printing apparatus and a liquid ejection system that are equipped with the liquid supply device.
A conventionally known liquid supply device is configured to supply a liquid to a liquid ejection head (for example, JP 2011-240706A and JP 2011-240707A). The conventional liquid supply device includes a liquid containing chamber configured to contain a liquid, an air communication path configured to make the liquid containing chamber communicate with the atmosphere, and a buffer chamber (air containing chamber) provided in the middle of the air communication path.
A known liquid ejection system includes a printer serving as a liquid ejection apparatus and a liquid supply device configured to supply a liquid (for example, ink) to the printer. JP 2011-240706A and JP 2011-240707A describe the configuration that the liquid supply device is attached to a side wall of the printer in this liquid ejection system. This liquid supply device includes a liquid containing chamber configured to contain the liquid and an air containing chamber configured to contain the air and include an air outlet port.
JP 2015-80907A discloses a liquid container including a liquid containing chamber and a buffer chamber, as a liquid container (liquid supply device) configured to supply ink to a printer. The buffer chamber is configured to suppress leakage of a liquid contained in the liquid containing chamber to the outside in response to a change in environment (for example, a change in atmospheric pressure, a change in temperature or a change in attitude). In the configuration of JP 2015-80907A, the buffer chamber is located above the liquid containing chamber.
In the conventional liquid supply device, in response to a change in atmospheric pressure or a change in temperature, there is a likelihood that the liquid contained in the liquid containing chamber is pressed out to flow into the buffer chamber provided in the middle of the air communication path and that the inflow liquid is not returned to the liquid containing chamber but remains in the buffer chamber. When the liquid remains in the buffer chamber, this may cause problems, for example, leakage of the liquid through the air communication path to the outside and reduction in the amount of the liquid supplied to the liquid ejection head. With regard to the conventional liquid supply device, there is accordingly a demand for a technique that reduces the possibility that the liquid remains in the buffer chamber. With regard to the conventional liquid supply device, there is also a demand for a technique that flexibly responds to a use condition, for example, the volume of the liquid contained in the liquid containing chamber and a use environment in which the liquid supply device. With regard to the conventional liquid supply device, other demands include cost reduction, resource saving, easy manufacture and improvement of usability.
Both the liquid ejection systems described in JP 2011-240706A and JP 2011-240707A are configured to enable the liquid to be filled into the liquid supply device. In the process of liquid refill, the user changes the attitude of the liquid supply device. In the configuration that the liquid supply device is built inside of the housing of the printer, there is a need to provide a space required for a change in attitude in the liquid refill process, inside of the housing of the printer. In the liquid ejection systems described in JP 2011-240706A and JP 2011-240707A, the liquid containing chamber is integrated with the air containing chamber. A large space is thus required to be provided inside of the housing of the printer, in order to allow for a change in attitude during the liquid refill process.
The air containing chamber serves to store the liquid flowing out (flowing back) to the outside of the liquid containing chamber, so that it is preferable that the air containing chamber has a maximum possible capacity. In the liquid ejection system described in JP 2011-240706A, however, the liquid containing chamber is integrated with the air containing chamber. There is accordingly a difficulty in providing a large capacity of the air containing chamber. Another problem is the low flexibility in design with regard to the arrangement of the air containing chamber.
In the liquid supply device configured to change the attitude of the liquid containing chamber in the process of filling the liquid into the liquid containing chamber, there is a need to reduce the space required for a change in attitude. There is also a need to improve the flexibility in design (for example, capacities, locations and numbers) of the liquid containing chamber and the air containing chamber in the liquid supply device.
JP 2015-80907A describes the configuration that the buffer chamber is provided in the liquid container. There is, however, still a room for improvement with regard to the configuration and the arrangement of the liquid supply device including the liquid containing chamber and the buffer chamber as described below.
Firstly, there is a need for a configuration of the liquid supply device that suppresses leakage of the liquid to the outside. More specifically, there is a need for a configuration that suppresses leakage of the liquid in response to a change in environment (for example, a change in atmospheric pressure, a change in temperature and a change in attitude) in which the liquid supply device is placed. There is also a need for a configuration that enables the liquid stored in the buffer chamber to be readily returned to the liquid containing chamber and thereby reduces the volume of the unused liquid remaining in the buffer chamber.
Secondly, there is a need for a liquid supply device that suppresses expansion of the placement area of the entire printing apparatus. More specifically, it is desired, for example, to efficiently place a plurality of liquid containing chambers and flow path members connected with the plurality of liquid containing chambers in a space-saving manner.
The above problems are not characteristic of the liquid supply device for the printer but are commonly found in liquid supply devices configured to supply various other types of liquid and liquid ejection apparatuses using such liquid supply devices.